REAL PEOPLE, REAL ISSUES

September 2006

September 29, 2006

Some people refer to dancehall raggae artist Buju Banton as a prophet, but gay community activists describe him as a prophet of hate. Banton's song "Boom Bye Bye," which is well known for the violence it calls for against gays including the shooting of gay people in the head, pouring acid over them, and setting them on fire is causing concerts featuring artist that spew hateful inflammatory lyrics suchas those written by artist Buju Banton and Beenie Man, to be cancelled in major urban cities across the country. In this two part interview, Keeping it Real's Joe Hawkins interviews Historic Sweet's Ballroom directors Steve Snider and Andrew Jones in Oakland, California about the homo-hatred and violence controversy surrounding raggae artist Buju Banton and why they decided to cancel his show at Sweets Ballroom.

(09-29) 09:41 PDT OAKLAND -- A Brinks security guard in an armored car was shot and killed this morning after being kidnapped in East Oakland along with a second guard, who was left unharmed, police said. The two security guards were kidnapped around 7 a.m. on the 3000 block of East Ninth Street while they were parked near a coffee shop, said Officer Roland Holmgren, a Police Department spokesman. The guards may have been taking a break at the shop, which is in a shopping center near the Fruitvale BART station and Interstate 880. A masked assailant got into the armored car through the back, held one of the guards at gunpoint and forced the other to drive half a mile to an industrial area at East 10th Street and 23rd Avenue, Holmgren said. There, the assailant shot to death the guard in the back and escaped with an unknown amount of money. The driver was unharmed but "very traumatized," Holmgren said. "It's very alarming, very scary to think that a suspect would have the audacity and gall to pull something as heinous as this in broad daylight," Holmgren said. At least one of the security guards was armed, police said, but it was not immediately clear which one. And while only one man hijacked the truck, police are unsure whether additional people helped him once the truck arrived at East 10th and 23rd. This is not the first time an armored car guard has been killed in the East Bay. In November 2002, two masked men shot and killed a Brinks guard in an armored car in West Berkeley. In 1997, a guard for Armored Transport Inc. was shot to death in San Ramon during a robbery in which $300,000 was stolen from the truck. The guard's partner, Thomas Wheelock, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

September 28, 2006

IRVING, Texas -- Dallas police have classified Terrell Owens' case as an "accidental overdose," not an attempted suicide, closing their investigation Thursday of the Cowboys receiver's hospitalization. Police Chief David Kunkle said he had "great confidence" in the initial police report, which said rescue workers responded late Tuesday night to an attempted "suicide by prescription pain medication.""The officers reacted because they were called to this location to do this job. Now they're being put under a microscope by some fancy little football person. Give me a break. Those officers are 10 times better than this man." -- Senior Cpl. Glenn White

"The report, in my opinion, reflects what the officers were told and represents their best interpretation of what happened," Kunkle said Thursday. "But that doesn't mean it's the definitive account of the incident. Like all these situations, we're dealing with incomplete information and facts that change." The report, obtained by media outlets Wednesday, said a friend described Owens as being depressed and indicated that Owens said "Yes" when rescue workers asked whether he had tried to harm himself. Owens said Wednesday he mistakenly mixed the painkillers for a broken hand with supplements he ordinarily takes, causing him to become groggy while at home Tuesday evening. His publicist, Kim Etheredge, called 911, and Owens was taken by ambulance to an emergency room. Within two hours of his hospital release Wednesday morning, Owens was catching passes at team headquarters. He went through a full practice Thursday, his first since breaking his right hand Sept. 17, and might play Sunday in Tennessee. At a news conference Wednesday, Owens denied the strongest parts of the police report, and Etheredge lashed out at authorities, saying, "I am just upset that I just feel they take advantage of Terrell. Had this been someone else, this may not have happened." Earlier Thursday, the president of the Dallas Police Association, which represents Dallas police officers, demanded an apology from T.O. and his publicist. "The officers reacted because they were called to this location to do this job. Now they're being put under a microscope by some fancy little football person," Senior Cpl. Glenn White said. "Give me a break. Those officers are 10 times better than this man. ... We police officers don't go out to these calls and make stuff up." Reports of an empty pill bottle are a good example of the difference between what officers were told and the story that emerged later. The reports indicated that 35 pills were unaccounted for; Owens later said that Etheredge became concerned when she saw an empty bottle, but she didn't know that the medicine was in a drawer. "There was initially a belief of more [pills] that he might have taken," Kunkle said. "Further investigation leads you to a different conclusion." Kunkle said at his news conference that Owens and Etheredge were welcome to file a report against the officers if they believe anyone acted inappropriately. "There's no reason for the officers to do anything inappropriate," he added. Etheredge could not immediately be reached for a response. The voice mail on her cell phone was full, and she did not respond to an e-mail from The Associated Press. Although Owens looked fine in practice, Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he might not decide until Saturday morning whether Owens makes the trip to Tennessee, and he'll probably wait until that night to determine whether to use him in the game. Parcells wants to evaluate all the medical information he can get. That includes details about Owens' broken hand and possibly a mental evaluation. Owens is expected to practice again Friday. "I have to, as the coach, rely on other people to keep me informed as to really what's going on," Parcells said. "I can't form my own independent opinion other than those involving, 'Is his hand functional and can he play on Sunday?' If my medical people tell me those things are in place, and then he looks like he's [OK], we'll make that consideration then." Owens declined to speak with reporters, saying he did his talking Wednesday. But he sure was visible while media was allowed in the locker room. Wearing a small bandage over the scar on his right hand, and a black T-shirt that read "U Big Dummy" above a picture of TV character Fred Sanford, Owens walked into the locker room, sat on a sofa and unwrapped his lunch, then decided to take it into an adjacent, off-limits dining area. When he returned, Owens shooed away reporters, then Owens went back to the same spot on the sofa where he'd been before. He grabbed a copy of the Cowboys Weekly newspaper to occupy his time. Among the articles that caught his attention: "Young Receivers Have Opportunity To Step Up After Broken Finger Sidelines Owens," and a scouting report of the Eagles, next week's opponent.

OAKLAND Slain bicyclist called a mother to people in the neighborhoodJason B. Johnson, Chronicle Staff WriterThursday, September 28, 2006 Gail Breda would often ride around her West Oakland neighborhood on one of the three bicycles she owned. She had kids bring their bikes to her to get a chain or wheel spokes fixed. Police found the 52-year-old woman's body sprawled over her bike when they responded to a shooting early Tuesday in a neighborhood reeling from violent crime. Breda and Shirley Hill, 53, were both fatally wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a group of people standing near Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 31st Street. Police said they had made no arrests Wednesday and did not have a motive. "These were nice ladies," said Paulette Santos, 60, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1967 and knew both women. "They were just standing there talking. I just don't understand." Sidewalk memorials of candles, flowers and stuffed animals were erected Wednesday on the spot where the shooting took place and outside of Breda's 31st Street apartment. Breda's son, James Watson Jr., 31, was driving home when he heard gunshots and seconds later received a call from a friend telling him his mother had been shot. He arrived to see her motionless on the ground. "She was already dead," he said Wednesday. "She was a good woman, a mother to everybody in this neighborhood." http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/28/BAG3CLE72T1.DTL

A Manhattan judge threatened yesterday to have supermodel Naomi Campbell arrested after she failed to show up in Criminal Court for her assault case. Assistant District Attorney Christian Browne explained that he and defense lawyer David Breitbart were negotiating a possible plea bargain, but Judge James Gibbons issued a warrant anyway, agreeing to hold it until Campbell's next court date, Nov. 15, reports the Daily News. "I want to make it clear that she's absolutely obliged to appear at the time of her next court date or the warrant will go into effect," said Gibbons. Campbell, 36, who is charged with smashing a bejeweled cell phone on her maid's head last March, had another public display of temper last week when she verbally lashed out at a Qantas Airways employee after a flight from Thailand to Australia. Outside court, Breitbart declined to explain the runway beauty's absence but insisted she won't miss another court date. "You should rest assured that if she could have been here, she would have been here," Breitbart said. "No matter what the situation is, she's going to be here next time."

September 27, 2006

DALLAS (AP) -- Flamboyant Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens tried to kill himself by overdosing on pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened, according to a police report obtained Wednesday. The report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time (he) stated, `Yes." The Dallas police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV. Police scheduled a news conference for later Wednesday morning. The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that (his) prescription pain medication was empty and observed (Owens) putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said. The friend attempted to pry them out with her fingers, then was told by Owens that before this incident he'd taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied. According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

September 26, 2006

John Leguizamo “It’s all gonna come back and bite me on the ass,” frets John Leguizamo, who dishes to The Advocate about his forthcoming memoir, Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: A Life.Interviewed by Dennis Hensley

From The Advocate October 10, 2006First off, I was surprised to learn that you killed famed acting teacher Lee Strasberg.Yeah. I was in his class for one day. That night, he perished. My acting wasn’t good back then, so I know that had something to do with it.

On To Wong Foo you and Patrick Swayze came to blows on the set—in full drag, no less—because he didn’t like you ad-libbing.I think we were too Method-schmethod and we started PMSing. I still got a lot of love for him.

Moulin Rouge is a huge gay favorite too, yet you write that it’s hard for you to watch now.It’s a great movie, but my part was supposed to be something more. I turned down a lot of stuff to do it. Now, time has passed and my career took off anyway, but when you have great opportunities that you miss, you feel like it’s over.

You also write that when you were starting out in the comedy scene in New York, a lot of your colleagues were lesbian.Yes, and they were awesome—political, brave, and naked a lot. There was no labeling, no judgment. You could be anything—poetic or comic or political or angry. Whatever it was, you just had to own yourself.

What would you like to do professionally that you haven’t done yet?My dream is to do what I do on Broadway with movies. To write my own movie that’s deep—hopefully—and funny. To be a Latin Cassavetes or Latin Woody Allen.

Julian Bond, former Georgia state representative and ex-head of the NAACP, says fighting homophobia is key to progress in the struggle against HIV/AIDS among blacks.

Interviewed by Christopher Lisotta

From The Advocate October 10, 2006What are you doing to address homophobia among the black population?I look at the women’s movement, the movement of lesbians and gays, the Hispanic movement, the Native American movement—all these movements say they took their cues from the African-American civil rights movement. But in this case, the African-American movement against AIDS is taking its cues from the gay movement, hoping to adapt some of the militancy, some of the tactics, demonstrations, and protests.

How big a role does homophobia play in the spread of AIDS among black people?They definitely go hand in hand. I live in Washington, D.C., and over the past six months or so, two very prominent black ministers here have issued the most appalling [antigay] statements. The good news is that they were quickly and loudly denounced. The bad news is that they made these statements at all. Homophobia is one of the major obstacles to black Americans coming to grips with this disease in the ways that we should. It is awfully disturbing. It’s a refutation of what the movement for civil rights stood for. It’s disgraceful.

Is that changing at all?It is more possible to have rational and decent discussions about the issue and to talk about prescriptions for change. But at the same time it really is a barrier. People who have these kinds of prejudices tend to dismiss the whole [AIDS] phenomenon and put it down to a matter of “behavior.” It is a phenomenon that strikes everyone, and we have to get to the point where we can put these evil bigotries behind us so we can focus on the spread of AIDS, the availability of treatment, the teaching of preventive measures, the use of condoms.

Is it a matter of more gay black men needing to come out?I can’t help but think that if more closeted gay people would come out of the closet and take claim of who they are and their identity, this situation would be immeasurably eased. At the same time those who are out need to take a more active role in organizations like the NAACP and let members see they are ordinary people. Having someone say, “Here I am, look at me, pay attention to me,” makes a great difference. The NAACP board is quite large—there are 64 of us. One of my members has AIDS. I don’t doubt that others are gay or lesbian. Their situation would be immeasurably helped if those folks said, “Here I am.”

Miss Cleo comes out The queen of late-night infomercial psychics tells us what you might not predict: She’s a lesbian.

By Greg Hernandez

Excerpted from The Advocate October 10, 2006

She’s known for the catchphrase “The cards never lie,” and now Miss Cleo, the controversial former infomercial psychic, is finally telling some truths—about herself.

From the late 1990s through 2002, the woman whose real name is Youree Dell Cleomili Harris was a late-night staple who, in a thick Jamaican accent, urged viewers to dial a charge-by-the-minute 900 number to have their fortunes read.

What those viewers didn’t know, and what some members of her own family still don’t know, is that Miss Cleo is a lesbian. Four years after the infomercials were pulled from the air under a cloud of various lawsuits and federal and state investigations, Harris says she has been inspired to come out publicly by a teenage godson.

“He and I started talking when he was concerned about coming out. He was 16. When he made the decision I told him I’d be there to support him 100%, and he embraced [coming out] wholeheartedly,” Harris says. “It’s a different vibe than when I was his age, being raised Catholic in an all-girls boarding school. But he was afraid of nothing, and I thought, I can’t be a hypocrite. This boy is going to force me to put my money where my mouth is.”

On the late-night infomercials, Miss Cleo said she was a mystical shaman from Jamaica. Doubt was cast on that claim when a Florida newspaper reported that she had been born in Los Angeles. But Harris simply says, “I am who I say I am,” and insists she has Jamaican roots. She says she’s actually not a psychic but more of a spiritual counselor or spiritual adviser.

“I’m more a shaman, an elder in a community who has visions and gives direction to people in their village. My clients and my students are my village. I take care of this community. If you sit down at my table, you have to take away a lesson and not just learn what is going to happen tomorrow. I also perform weddings—both gay and straight marriages—and house cleansings and blessings.” http://www.advocate.com/currentstory1_w.asp?id=36683

Three people who assaulted six men outside a gay pride festival in San Diego were sentenced to prison Monday, just days after pleading guilty to the July attacks. James Allen Carroll and Kenneth James Lincoln, both 24, and 18-year-old Lyonn Taz Tatum were accused along with a 15-year-old boy of yelling antigay slurs as they struck the men with a baseball bat and a knife. One victim was hospitalized with a broken skull. Carroll, who wielded the bat, was sentenced by superior court judge Frederick Maguire to 11 years in prison for attempted murder and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Tatum, who admitted striking with the knife, will serve eight years for assault with a deadly weapon and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Lincoln was sentenced to 32 months for helping shave Tatum's head after the attacks in an effort to conceal his identity. Prosecutor Oscar Garcia said he was pleased with the plea deals. "I would hope that not just people in the gay community but people of all colors feel safer," Garcia said. The teenager admitted to taking part in the attacks in a juvenile court hearing last week. He faces up to 13 years on three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and hate-crime charges. The attacks took place as the victims were leaving the nighttime events capping San Diego's 32nd annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Festival in Balboa Park, just north of downtown. The most seriously injured victim, Oscar Foster, was hit in the head and upper body 10 to 12 times with the aluminum bat. He recently left the hospital after undergoing facial reconstructive surgery, Garcia said. (AP)

Star Jones has given the National Enquirer an ultimatum: either admit that a story calling her her marriage a "sham" is untrue, or prepare to do battle in court (and remember, Star is a lawyer).

Bob Chapman, the high-powered attorney who represents Star and Al, tells TMZ that the Enquirer's story that Al is gay and the marriage is falling apart is not true. Chapman insists, "They are happily married," adding tha t Star is "emotional and stressed out" over the story.

The article in question, published in this week's issue dated October 2, 2006, features the headline "Star Jones' Husband Walks Out!" In a demand letter to the Enquirer, Chapman writes the article is "false and defamatory" and has "caused them massive damage." The letter also states, "You have also chosen to state that Mr. Reynolds is gay. While Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds believe that everyone should be free to make their own choice concerning sexual preference and that there is nothing wrong with being gay, you have nonetheless chosen to falsely state that Mr. Reynolds is gay." Chapman also states that the Enquirer has done "grave damage to their reputations, both publicly and privately."Brad Zeifman, a rep for the couple, issued the following statement to TMZ: "Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds have tried to handle th ese vicious lies and attempts at character assassination with quiet dignity for far too long...now they will pursue immediate legal action against anyone who makes false statements about their family."In a recent interview with Jawn Murray of AOL's Black Voices, Star stressed, "I love my husband and he loves and respects me-period! People can say what they want, but Al and I share what I like to call an unbreakable bond." Star reminds the public that, "It's not easy being under such intense scrutiny by the media. All we're trying to do is live our lives as Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds."

September 25, 2006

Welcome to the Dolls housePaper Dolls is an affectionate glimpse into a unique Israeli drag world. By Beth Greenfield

News from Israel tends to be grim. And so the new film Paper Dolls, which tenderly chronicles the lives of five gay Tel Aviv men—undocumented Filipino immigrants who are drag queens by night and health aides by day—is a welcome relief. “Arab-Jewish, Arab-Jewish—we’re tired of it,” says director Tomer Heymann, whose past documentaries have focused on coming out and the career of Israeli rock star Aviv Gefen. A few years ago, a producer friend said she had another great idea for him and directed the filmmaker to the Paper Dolls—the self-named drag troupe whose members describe themselves as women who are “not real,” as one member put it. Heymann was intrigued. “I was surprised there was something going on in the gay community that I didn’t know about,” the director admits. “I didn’t even understand. Filipinos? Transsexuals? Drag show? Something about this was interesting.” He tracked down the Paper Dolls and befriended them and, though a bit of unavoidable Israeli tragedy creeps in—there were bombings in Tel Aviv twice during the filming—the director mainly keeps his focus on the bonds that the Filipino men form with each other and, more surprisingly, with the elderly Orthodox Jews they care for. He was especially taken with the relationship between the gentle, elfin-faced Sally Comatoy and her octogenarian charge, Chaim Amir (who died before the film’s completion). http://www.timeoutny.com/newyork/Details.do?page=1&xyurl=xyl://TONYWebArticles1/571/gay_lesbian/welcome_to_the_dolls_house.xml

Surveillance, with all its Big Brother connotations, is the way true fashion is born: Designers scan the streets to divine tomorrow’s trends by reading the outfits of stylish passersby. We tap into the sensation of spying—and being spied on—in “Surveillance act”, our clandestine look at ladylike layering this fall. In the same vein, “At ease” shows that men, too, can pile it on and look sleek, not bulky. We also celebrate stealth, the ability to fly under fashion’s radar, which surfaces in the form of accessories (“Black market,”). And we directed our gaze toward tomorrow’s talent by checking in on what the kids are doing—namely, the wearable wares made by Class of 2006 Parsons and FIT graduates (“Projected runway,”). We scoped out local creators’ new handbag collections (“Bag and forth,”) and high-end designers’ democratically priced clothes and shoes (“Designers within reach,”), aiming to broaden their audience to include folks on the street—where fashion begins.—Marissa Patlingrao Cooley, Check Out editor

Hosted by filmmaker Tyler Perry, the '2006 Black Movie Awards' will be taped at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on Oct. 15. According to a spokesperson for the production, a prominent committee of film critics, entertainment editors and prestigious members of the artistic community chose nominees and recipients of the awards from a list of eligible films released in the U.S. between Aug. 1, 2005, and July 31, 2006. As previously reported, the show will air exclusively on the TNT network Oct. 18 at 10:00 p.m.

Representatives forBeyoncéfired off a press release this morning to set the record straight about widely circulated reports saying the multimedia entertainer was booed during this weekend's presentation of UK's Music Of Black Origin Awards (MOBO).While the rep does own up to boos being heckled during the presentation, she says it was not directed at Beyonce but at the show itself.The nationally televised 'MOBO Awards' is Great Britain's answer to the 'Soul Train Awards."Apparently many fans paid to purchase tickets to see American artists who won MOBO's," explained publicist Priscilla Clarke -- who reps Music World Entertainment, the enterprise owned by Mathew Knowles, Beyonce's father."Beyoncé was never scheduled to be at the MOBO Awards. Never! Her schedule simply would not allow it."Well okay then."And the MOBO's and record label had plenty of advance notice," the Washington, DC flak (who also represents the Congressional Black Caucus), further mandated. "She went from Toronto to Paris to London and her schedule unfortunately missed the MOBO's by a day. While in Toronto Beyoncé was supposed to tape a thank-you but that never happened due to a glitch between Sony BMG and the MOBO's."Fans who paid their money to see Beyoncé and other US artists that won multiple awards were frustrated with the MOBO's after Beyoncé was announced 3 times in the evening in three categories she had won," Knowles himself elaborated. "That's just bad TV. The smart thing would have been to combine all three. In addition several articles in the UK press led her fans to think she would be there."

OAKLAND — This isn't helping the A's reputation as a team unable to finish off an oppponent. True, those nine straight losses in potential clinching games came in the playoffs. This is the regular season, it's only been potential clinchers they've lost, and they still have another week's worth of games to win the American League West. But even if only five players remain from the 2003 team that blew three chances to end the Red Sox season in the division series, and only two players were in an A's uniform for all nine losses, the losses the last two days weren't a good omen. The A's didn't clinch the AL West on Sunday, their final chance to do it at the Coliseum, as pitcher Ervin Santana was even more dominant than John Lackey a day earlier, leading the Angels to a 7-1 victory. Are all those failed clinchers from 2000-2003 in the back of the A's collective mind?

The government is partially lifting its ban against carrying liquids and gels onto airliners, instituted after a plot to bomb jets flying into the United States was foiled, officials said Monday. "We now know enough to say that a total ban is no longer needed from a security point of view," said Kip Hawley, head of the Transportation Security Administration, at a news conference at Reagan National Airport. He said that most liquids and gels that air travelers purchase in secure areas of airports will now be allowed on planes. He called the new procedures a "common sense" approach that would maintain a high level of security at airports but ease conditions for passengers. That means that after passengers go through airport security checkpoints, they can purchase liquids at airport stores and take them onto their planes. The new procedures go into effect on Tuesday.The new security regimen is for an indefinite period and will take effect Tuesday morning, officials said. Tougher airport screening procedures were put in place in August after British police broke up a terrorist plot to assemble and detonate bombs using liquid explosives on airliners crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Britain to the U.S. http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_4393502

September 24, 2006

BEARS GO ABOVE AND BEYOND Cal scorches Sun Devils for school-record 42 first-half points- Rusty Simmons, Chronicle Staff WriterSunday, September 24, 2006 It's usually a good sign when a coach starts looking for minute problems in the team's performance. Such was the case Saturday as Cal coach Jeff Tedford appeared less than enthused about the Bears opening the Pac-10 portion of their schedule by drubbing Arizona State 49-21 in front of 58,024 fans at Memorial Stadium. "I think in all three phases of the game, we played fairly solid, but we're still not where we need to be," he said. "We need to be able to put four quarters together, and we haven't done that yet this year." In consecutive weeks, No. 21 Cal (3-1) jumped out to a huge first-half lead and failed to score an offensive touchdown in the second half. That was probably the only obvious problem for the Bears, but the first-half numbers were askew. Arizona State rushed for 150 first-half yards to Cal's 68 and won the time of possession battle 20:49 to 9:11. Still, the Bears led 42-14. That's because Cal dominated every other facet of the game as it scored four touchdowns in about six minutes. The Bears got four scoring passes from Nate Longshore, a special teams and a defensive touchdown, and they didn't commit a penalty. The end result of the first-half barrage was 42 points, a school record for a half in a Pac-10 game. No. 22 Arizona State (3-1) lost its 11th consecutive game in California against Pac-10 teams, and the Sun Devils, under coach Dirk Koetter, are 0-4 against Cal, including a 27-0 loss in the teams' last meeting in 2004. "We talked to the team about when you're on the road against a good team with a loud crowd, whenever that onslaught comes, you've got to be able to answer it," Koetter said. "We just couldn't answer it. "What Cal did to us is exactly what happened to them at Tennessee." The Bears have won three consecutive games after their season-opening loss at Tennessee. A large part of the turnaround has been the play of Longshore, who has thrown for 795 yards and 10 touchdowns in the last three games after passing for just 85 yards and a pick while being sacked three times in Knoxville, Tenn. "Nate's maturing on a regular basis," Cal offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar said. "He keeps getting better every week." It helps to have the host of weapons the Bears possess among the receiving corps. Sophomore receiver DeSean Jackson, who had four catches for 67 yards, caught a touchdown pass in his sixth consecutive game, tying him for the longest current streak in the nation. Cal also got five catches for 83 yards from Robert Jordan and two catches for 49 yards and a score from Lavelle Hawkins as the Bears took advantage of Arizona State's aggressive defense for big pass plays. Entering the game, the Sun Devils led the nation with 18 sacks and were second with 32 tackles for a loss. The defensive front, which had 22 sacks all of last season, recorded just one sack against Cal, despite the Bears playing without both of their starting tackles, Andrew Cameron (ankle) and Scott Smith (knee). "We shouldn't have given up even one sack today, because I should have gotten that ball out," Longshore said. "People shouldn't be questioning our line just because we're a little banged up." Instead it was the Bears' defense that took advantage of Arizona State's line, blitzing from a multitude of angles and sacking Rudy Carpenter five times. The sophomore, who led the nation in passing efficiency last season, never looked comfortable, completing just 16 of 36 passes for 177 yards and four interceptions (two more than he threw all of last season). The only possession the Sun Devils looked sharp on was their first, when they converted two third-down situations on a touchdown drive. The Cal defense has given up points on its opponent's first drive in three consecutive games, but as has become the custom, the Bears bounced back, allowing only one third-down conversion the rest of the first half. ASU's opening drive sparked Cal, which came back with 35 unanswered points. Senior cornerback Daymeion Hughes, who has five interceptions in the last three games, capped off the first half with a highlight-reel, 30-yard return for a touchdown that gave Cal a 42-14 halftime lead.

(09-24) 12:33 PDT -- A 20-year-old was fatally shot late Saturday, and two others were wounded by gunfire, during another violent night in Oakland, police said.

The person killed in the 9:43 p.m. shooting on the 9700 block of E Street in East Oakland was not identified early Sunday, and investigators could not be reached for further details. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The two other victims were taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland and were expected to survive.

In other violent incidents in Oakland overnight, a female juvenile was struck in the arm during a gang-related shooting at 11 p.m. Saturday on the 2300 block of 107th Avenue. She was taken to Children's Hospital Oakland, police said.

Another gang-related shooting left a man with a gunshot wound at 3:35 a.m. Sunday on the 1600 block of 100th Avenue, police said.

And just before 9 a.m. Sunday, police arrested three suspects after five people suffered minor injuries in a gang fight on the 1900 block of Foothill Boulevard, police said.

September 22, 2006

In Memory of Aaliyah: More Than A Woman

By: John Kennedy

August 25, 2006

It was five years ago that Aaliyah Dana Haughton, whose name is Arabic for “the highest, most exalted one,” died in a tragic plane crash along with nine others. But before Aaliyah’s passing, the Brooklyn-born, Detroit-raised singer left a legacy that will never be rivaled. She was a trendsetter throughout her career, whether continuously setting the standard in R&B music or swimming in baggy boys clothing - which helped her secure a spot in the 1996 Tommy Jeans ad campaign. But more than anything else, she loved to perform. “I have to honestly say that everything is worth it,” Aaliyah said during an MTV Diary taping in July 2001, just a month before her death. “The hard work, the times when you’re tired, the times when you’re a bit sad, the good moments when you’re onstage performing in front of thousands of people. In the end, it’s all worth it because it really makes me happy, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.

September 2012

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